Introducing our Spotlight Angel: Wyatt
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Wyatt’s bright smile lights up the room on his first day of 3rd grade.
Love often appears when we least expect it – just ask Kara Grimes. Two weeks after meeting a little boy named Wyatt, she walked through the front door and proclaimed to her husband, “We’re going to adopt this child.”
She wasn’t supposed to be with Wyatt the day they met. Kara taught children with visual impairments, and during a visit to Holy Angels, a coworker asked her to help conduct Wyatt’s testing. When she saw Wyatt smiling up at her, something shifted. “I fell in love with him,” she recalls. “His sweet smile brightens the world.”
Wyatt was in foster care at the time, and Kara noticed something that stayed with her: while other children had family visiting campus for events, Wyatt didn’t. That same day, she brought her husband Derek to meet him.
Derek knew Wyatt would need significant care, but he also saw right away that Wyatt belonged in their family. “He deserves all the love in the world he can get, and we wanted to be a constant in his life,” he said.
A year later, Wyatt officially joined the family. His visitor log, once empty, was now full. In addition to his birth family, he gained four older siblings, two caring parents, and many cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents who love him. His older sisters even joined the Volunteen program at Holy Angels to spend the summer organizing activities with Wyatt and his friends. “We go on every field trip,” Kara said. “No matter what the event is, someone will be there for him. That’s important to us.”
In the early years, Wyatt lived nearly full-time in the Healthcare Center. “He was sick a lot when he was young, and there were so many tubes,” Kara said. Now, his life looks very different. He goes to class each day and is surrounded by friends and routines that bring comfort and growth. His parents credit Holy Angels with making that progress possible. “The staff are Wyatt experts,” Kara said. “You can hear it in their voices how much they care.”
Wyatt knows how much his parents care, too. When he hears their voices, his body softens – he knows cuddles are coming.
Looking ahead, the family is excited for Wyatt’s move to the new Children’s Campus. Dad is excited for Wyatt to have his own room, filled with his name and family photos. His mom can’t wait for Wyatt to enjoy the accessible pool. “He comes alive in the water. We even call bath time ‘swim team,” she explained. “He’ll splash, giggle and smile so big because he can move his body in ways he couldn’t before.”
While his entrance into their lives was swift, every moment together has felt as if it were meant to be. "Wyatt completed the family. The joy he brings us is unmatched,” they said.
